Five reasons you suck if you don't play Okami

If you didn't go out and buy Okami, you suck. Period. Okami is one of the best games that hardly anyone played. Despite having received rave reviews and numerous awards - including our very own “Too Beautiful to Live” accolade - sales for the title were lackluster. What the hell, gamers? Do you want to play crap like Deer Hunter 17 and Bratz: Inappropriately Sexed-Up Pre-Teens all your life?

Luckily, the Wii version of Okami is just around the corner. Don't miss out on it yet again, because then you'll have overlooked a fantastic game, you'll suck even worse and we'll hate you. And because we don't want to hate you, we're staging an intervention. Here are five reasons why you owe it to yourself, your fellow gamers, and the industry as a whole to buy Okami, play it, and tell everyone you know to do the same.

Above: Go ahead. Look at the screenshots and read the reviews. But until you’ve actually played Okami, you won’t know what you’ve been missing

5. Okami is truly original
When we say it, we mean it. You won’t find any stereotypical premises or protagonists in Okami. There’s no tragically orphaned boy who later discovers he’s got a knack for saving others and overcoming progressively stronger villains. There are no heavily armored men with big guns and aliens to fight.

Instead of placing you in the role of yet another stock character, Okami has you playing the resurrected spirit of the sun goddess, Amaterasu. Even though she’s a mute white wolf, Amaterasu has more personality and originality in her left paw than Naruto, Harry Potter, Marcus Phoenix, and Master Chief combined.

Okami even has a gratuitous bark button added just for the heck of it and if you’re clever, you can unlock the ability to mark your territory with the divine she-wolf.

Above: Do you want more of the same or something truly unique? The choice is yours

4. Okami will assault your senses
You’ve seen screenshots of Okami’s beautiful world. You’ve read nothing but praise in just about every preview and review about how great the game looks. In the sea of generic titles featuring nothing but more of the same, Okami’s world of stylized Japanese watercolor paintings is something everyone should see.

Grass rustles beneath your paws as you romp through the wilderness. Leaves blow gently in the wind and the soft moonlight reflects off sleepy lakes. It’s all these little details that bring the game’s characters and backgrounds to life, making every area a beauty to behold from any angle.

Oh yeah. It's also just as gorgeous on Wii, as this video will attest.